Mars Retrograde 2027: Dates, Shadow Period and What It Means for Every Sign

Mars turns retrograde on January 10, 2027 at 10 degrees 26 minutes of Virgo and turns direct on April 1, 2027 at 20 degrees 56 minutes of Leo, so the 2027 Mars retrograde runs for 81 days and backs out of Virgo into Leo on February 21. Counting the shadow on either side, the whole cycle runs from November 5, 2026, when Mars first crosses 20 degrees 56 minutes of Leo, to June 8, 2027, when it finally clears 10 degrees 26 minutes of Virgo. It is the only Mars retrograde of 2027 and the first since early 2025. Every date, time and degree below is computed from the ephemeris for the tropical zodiac, not copied from a list.

When is Mars retrograde in 2027?

North America switches to daylight time on March 14, 2027 and the UK on March 28, so the April and June times carry the summer offsets. In Pacific and Eastern time the shadow ends on the evening of June 7.

Mars retrograde · 2027

Mars turns back from Virgo into Leo

days retrograde

81

days retrograde

walked back

19°30′

walked back

days, shadow to shadow

214

days, shadow to shadow

marker 1: enters the shadow on Nov 5, 2026, marker 2: turns retrograde on Jan 10, 2027, marker 3: opposite the sun on Feb 19, 2027, marker 4: turns direct on Apr 1, 2027 and marker 5: leaves the shadow on Jun 7, 2027.

A chart of Mars's path through the zodiac from October 15, 2026 to June 29, 2027, computed from the ephemeris. Enters the shadow: November 5, 2026, at 20 degrees 56 minutes Leo. Turns retrograde: January 10, 2027, at 10 degrees 26 minutes Virgo. Opposite the Sun: February 19, 2027, at 0 degrees 46 minutes Virgo. Turns direct: April 1, 2027, at 20 degrees 56 minutes Leo. Leaves the shadow: June 7, 2027, at 10 degrees 26 minutes Virgo. Between 20 degrees 56 minutes Leo and 10 degrees 26 minutes Virgo Mars crosses the same stretch of sky three times: forward, backward, then forward again.

Mars turns back from Virgo into Leo

Moving forward Retrograde One week of travel Shadow

Drag through the datesJun 29, 2027 · 21°32′ Virgo · moving forward

Left to right is Mars's path through the zodiac. Up and down is its height above or below the Sun's path, stretched so the loop is easy to see. The dots are a week apart: they bunch up where Mars slows down to turn.

1. 1Enters the shadow · Nov 5, 202620°56′ Leo, first reaches the degree where it will later turn direct
2. 2Turns retrograde · Jan 10, 202710°26′ Virgo, stands still, then starts moving backward
3. 3Opposite the Sun · Feb 19, 20270°46′ Virgo, the midpoint, closest to Earth and brightest
4. 4Turns direct · Apr 1, 202720°56′ Leo, stands still, then moves forward again
5. 5Leaves the shadow · Jun 7, 202710°26′ Virgo, back at the degree where it turned retrograde

›Key dates, times and degrees

Moment	Date	Time	Mars at
Enters the shadow	Nov 5, 2026	10:33 am ET (15:33 UTC)	20°56′ Leo
Turns retrograde	Jan 10, 2027	8:01 am ET (13:01 UTC)	10°26′ Virgo
Opposite the Sun	Feb 19, 2027	10:51 am ET (15:51 UTC)	0°46′ Virgo
Turns direct	Apr 1, 2027	10:10 am ET (14:10 UTC)	20°56′ Leo
Leaves the shadow	Jun 7, 2027	9:59 pm ET (01:59 UTC)	10°26′ Virgo

›Mars week by week

Date	Position	Motion	Degrees a day
Oct 15, 2026	9°55′ Leo	moving forward	0.55
Oct 22, 2026	13°32′ Leo	moving forward	0.53
Oct 29, 2026	17°17′ Leo	moving forward	0.51
Nov 5, 2026	20°38′ Leo	moving forward	0.49
Nov 12, 2026	24°04′ Leo	moving forward	0.46
Nov 19, 2026	27°17′ Leo	moving forward	0.43
Nov 26, 2026	0°03′ Virgo	moving forward	0.40
Dec 3, 2026	2°47′ Virgo	moving forward	0.36
Dec 10, 2026	5°01′ Virgo	moving forward	0.31
Dec 17, 2026	7°04′ Virgo	moving forward	0.25
Dec 24, 2026	8°42′ Virgo	moving forward	0.19
Dec 31, 2026	9°46′ Virgo	moving forward	0.12
Jan 7, 2027	10°22′ Virgo	moving forward	0.04
Jan 14, 2027	10°20′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.05
Jan 21, 2027	9°42′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.14
Jan 28, 2027	8°21′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.24
Feb 4, 2027	6°32′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.32
Feb 11, 2027	4°04′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.37
Feb 18, 2027	1°16′ Virgo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.40
Feb 25, 2027	28°38′ Leo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.39
Mar 4, 2027	25°59′ Leo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.34
Mar 11, 2027	23°46′ Leo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.27
Mar 18, 2027	22°15′ Leo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.18
Mar 25, 2027	21°15′ Leo	retrograde, moving backward	-0.09
Apr 1, 2027	20°56′ Leo	standing still	-0.00
Apr 8, 2027	21°11′ Leo	moving forward	0.08
Apr 15, 2027	22°02′ Leo	moving forward	0.16
Apr 22, 2027	23°16′ Leo	moving forward	0.22
Apr 29, 2027	25°02′ Leo	moving forward	0.27
May 6, 2027	27°11′ Leo	moving forward	0.32
May 13, 2027	29°28′ Leo	moving forward	0.36
May 20, 2027	2°13′ Virgo	moving forward	0.40
May 27, 2027	4°59′ Virgo	moving forward	0.43
Jun 3, 2027	8°10′ Virgo	moving forward	0.46
Jun 10, 2027	11°33′ Virgo	moving forward	0.48
Jun 17, 2027	14°51′ Virgo	moving forward	0.50
Jun 24, 2027	18°32′ Virgo	moving forward	0.52

Computed from the real sky with the Natal Junction ephemeris (tropical zodiac, geocentric). Dates in US Eastern time.

What does Mars retrograde mean?

Mars does not actually reverse. Roughly every 25 to 26 months the Earth, on its faster inside orbit, catches up with Mars and overtakes it. For about eleven weeks around that pass, Mars appears to drift backward against the stars, the same way a slower car seems to slide backward when you overtake it on a highway. In the middle of the loop the Sun, Earth and Mars line up, which astronomers call opposition. That happens on February 19, 2027, with Mars closest to Earth a few hours later, at about 101.4 million kilometres on February 20. Mars is then at its brightest for this cycle, a steady orange point rising at sunset.

In astrology, Mars is the planet of drive, anger, courage, competition, physical energy and the will to start things. When it turns retrograde, that energy turns inward. Plans that rely on force or speed stall. Old fights resurface. Projects you started in the autumn of 2026 come back for a second, harder look. The traditional reading is not that Mars retrograde is cursed, but that it is a review period for anything driven by Mars: what you are fighting for, how you use your energy and whether you are pushing on the right door.

Mars retrograde 2027 shadow period

The shadow is the stretch of the zodiac Mars crosses three times: forward, backward, then forward again. For 2027 that stretch runs from 20 degrees 56 minutes of Leo to 10 degrees 26 minutes of Virgo, a band of 19 and a half degrees.

• Pre-shadow, November 5, 2026 to January 10, 2027 (66 days). Mars moves through the ground it will later retrace. Whatever starts or heats up here is what the retrograde reviews. Mars meets Jupiter at 25 degrees 53 minutes of Leo on November 16, 2026, inside the pre-shadow, so ambitious plans born in November are prime candidates for a rethink.
• Retrograde, January 10 to April 1, 2027 (81 days). The review itself.
• Post-shadow, April 1 to June 8, 2027 (68 days). Mars walks forward over the same ground a third time. Momentum returns, but it builds slowly. Things start to feel normal again in mid-May, when Mars re-enters Virgo. June 8 is the clean finish line.

The full cycle, shadow to shadow, lasts 214 days, a little over seven months. That is why Mars retrograde feels heavier than Mercury retrograde: the whole loop takes longer than all three Mercury cycles of a year put together.

Mars retrograde in Virgo: January 10 to February 21

Virgo is the sign of work, craft, health and the daily systems that hold a life together. Mars here wants to fix things, and when it stations retrograde it turns that critical eye back on your own methods. Expect to redo work rather than start new work, to find errors in processes you thought were finished and to rethink training plans or diets that were too aggressive. Irritation in this phase tends to come out as nitpicking and overwork rather than open anger.

This part of the retrograde holds the busiest sky of the cycle:

• Mercury turns retrograde on February 9 and Jupiter is already retrograde in Leo. From February 9 to March 3 Mars, Mercury and Jupiter are all retrograde at once. Mars opposes Mercury on February 7 and again on February 16, once on each side of Mercury's station, which is classic territory for sharp words and misread messages. Dates for Mercury are in Mercury retrograde 2027.
• Mars squares Uranus three times across the cycle: December 4, 2026 at 3 degrees 18 minutes of Virgo, February 17, 2027 at 1 degree 43 minutes and May 29 at 5 degrees 52 minutes, with Uranus in early Gemini. Sudden changes of plan, tech failures and impatience peak around these dates.
• The opposition on February 19 puts the Sun in Pisces exactly across from Mars, the brightest Mars of the cycle and the point astrologers read as the moment the retrograde shows its hand.
• The penumbral lunar eclipse of February 20 falls at 2 degrees 6 minutes of Virgo, with Mars less than 2 degrees away, the day before Mars backs into Leo. It is a soft eclipse, but it lands right on the retrograde planet. The full list is in eclipses 2027.

Mars retrograde in Leo: February 21 to April 1

On February 21 Mars backs into Leo, the sign of self-expression, pride, romance and creative risk. Here the review moves from work to ego: how you want to be seen, who gets the credit and whether you are leading or performing. Old romances and creative projects tend to resurface. So do old rivalries. Mars opposes Mercury a third time on March 11, now across Leo and Aquarius. It opposes Venus on March 19 at 21 degrees 59 minutes of Leo, so love and money questions are part of the second half.

Jupiter is retrograde in Leo too until April 13, as the last chapter of Jupiter in Leo. Two retrograde planets in the same sign make late February and March a period for finishing and repairing, not launching. Mars stations direct on April 1 just four degrees from Jupiter, and Jupiter follows twelve days later. The detailed Jupiter dates are in Jupiter retrograde 2026 to 2027.

Has Mars been retrograde in Virgo and Leo before?

Yes, and the closest echoes are 1980 and 1995. In 1980 Mars turned retrograde on January 16 at 15 degrees 21 minutes of Virgo and direct on April 6 at 25 degrees 52 minutes of Leo, almost the same calendar dates and the same two signs. In 1995 it ran from January 2 at 2 degrees 40 minutes of Virgo to March 24 at 13 degrees 10 minutes of Leo. More recently Mars was retrograde entirely in Leo from December 20, 2009 to March 10, 2010. It was retrograde entirely in Virgo from January 24 to April 14, 2012. If you remember those winters, you have a feel for the themes.

Is Mars retrograde bad?

Not in itself. It is a slower, more reflective use of a fast planet. The traditional advice is about timing, not fear: the period suits finishing, repairing, rehearsing and reconsidering. It suits new fights and new ventures less well. Astrologers usually read it as an easier stretch for people born with Mars retrograde, because the sky then echoes their own chart. If you were born during a Mars retrograde, the free birth chart reading marks it for you.

What to do and not do during Mars retrograde 2027

The guidance below is astrological tradition, not evidence-based advice. Treat it as a way to time optional choices, and never delay medical care, safety repairs or anything urgent for a planet.

What to do

• Finish and repair. Complete projects started in late 2026, fix what broke and clear the backlog. Virgo energy rewards maintenance.
• Revisit old goals. Abandoned plans from the pre-shadow, or from the 2024 to 2025 Mars retrograde, can be picked back up with better information.
• Train smarter, not harder. Tradition reads Mars retrograde as a time when pushing for personal bests tends to backfire. Deload weeks, mobility work, technique and recovery fit the period better than new maximum lifts.
• Handle conflict slowly. Old arguments will come back. Hear them out, sleep on your reply and settle what you can before Mars goes direct.

What tradition says to avoid

• Launching a business, product or campaign between January 10 and April 1 if the date is flexible. Some astrologers prefer to wait until after the post-shadow, June 8, for anything that needs momentum.
• Signing contracts that commit you to a fight or a big push, such as lawsuits, aggressive deals or hostile negotiations. If you must sign, read every clause twice. The Mercury retrograde overlap from February 9 to March 3 adds a second reason for care.
• Starting new conflicts. Picking a fight, quitting in anger or sending the furious email are the classic Mars retrograde regrets.
• Buying cars, machinery, tools and tech. Mars rules engines, metal and sharp tools, so tradition advises waiting on vehicles and machinery. Some astrologers fold in big tech purchases too. There is no evidence that a car bought in February breaks more often. If you need a car, buy the car and get a careful inspection.
• Elective surgery. Some astrologers avoid scheduling optional procedures under Mars retrograde. Medical timing is for your doctor, not the sky.

Mars retrograde 2027 signs affected

The signs that feel this cycle most:

1. Virgo: Mars stations retrograde in your sign, so the review is personal: your body, your energy and how you assert yourself.
2. Leo: Mars backs into your sign and stations direct there. Your confidence, image and creative drive get rebuilt.
3. Aries and Scorpio: Mars rules both signs in traditional astrology, so the slowdown affects your ruling planet wherever it falls.
4. Pisces and Aquarius: the opposite signs. The Sun is in Pisces at the February 19 opposition, and the Leo phase lands across from Aquarius, so these signs feel the retrograde through other people.

What Mars retrograde 2027 means for each sign

Houses are counted whole-sign from your sign. Read it for your Sun sign and your rising sign; the rising sign is usually the more accurate.

• Aries: your sixth house of work and health, then your fifth house of romance and creativity. Rework routines first, then revisit an old creative project or flame. Your ruler is retrograde, so patience with yourself matters more than usual.
• Taurus: your fifth house, then your fourth house of home and family. A creative or romantic question turns into a domestic one. Repairs at home are favoured; big moves are better after June.
• Gemini: your fourth house, then your third house of siblings, neighbours and daily talk. Family tensions resurface early, then communication does. The Mars and Uranus squares fall in your sign, so slow down on impulsive changes.
• Cancer: your third house, then your second house of money. Watch your words in January and February and your spending in March. A delayed payment or a reworked budget is likely.
• Leo: your second house, then your first house. Money first, then self. Mars stations direct in your sign on April 1, the turning point for a fresh, sturdier start in how you present yourself.
• Virgo: your first house, then your twelfth house of rest and the unseen. Mars stations retrograde in your sign, so energy dips and frustrations surface early in the year. In the Leo phase, rest, finish private work and let old resentments go.
• Libra: your twelfth house, then your eleventh house of friends and groups. Hidden stress comes up first, then a friendship or team role gets renegotiated.
• Scorpio: your eleventh house, then your tenth house of career. Your ruler retrogrades through group plans and then your public role. A career push stalls so you can aim it better.
• Sagittarius: your tenth house, then your ninth house of travel, study and belief. A work battle cools, then plans abroad or a course need a second look.
• Capricorn: your ninth house, then your eighth house of shared money, debt and intimacy. Review loans, taxes and joint accounts in March.
• Aquarius: your eighth house, then your seventh house of partnership. Mars backs into the sign opposite yours, so partners and rivals bring the review to you. Do not let an old argument decide a relationship.
• Pisces: your seventh house, then your sixth house. The Sun is in your sign at the opposition on February 19, so other people's anger or drive meets you head-on. In March the focus moves to work and health habits.

How to check Mars retrograde in your own chart

Your Sun sign is the quick version. Your birth chart is the real one. Here is how to read the 2027 retrograde for yourself:

1. Find the houses. Look up which house holds 10 to 20 degrees of Leo and 0 to 10 degrees of Virgo in your chart. That is where the loop happens.
2. Check for planets in the shadow zone. Any natal planet or angle between 20 degrees 56 minutes of Leo and 10 degrees 26 minutes of Virgo gets crossed by Mars three times between November 2026 and June 2027. That is the most direct way this retrograde becomes personal.
3. Find your natal Mars. Its sign and house show how you handle anger and drive, and transiting Mars stationing on or square to it makes the period louder.
4. Look at the station degrees. A planet within a degree or two of 10 degrees 26 minutes of Virgo or 20 degrees 56 minutes of Leo takes the strongest hit, because Mars stands almost still there for days.

The free birth chart reading shows your houses and every planet's exact degree, and the planets guide explains what Mars represents in a chart. If the retrograde lands in your seventh house, compare charts with a partner in the compatibility tool to see where your Mars placements meet.

For the rest of the year, from the eclipses to the Jupiter ingress, see the 2027 astrology calendar. The month the retrograde begins has its own January 2027 astrology calendar.